Chapter 86: Rebirth Trial |
Ghost ships were an extension of the world’s laws of death. Every voyage they undertook was, in essence, carrying out the harvesting mission bestowed upon them by those laws.
By stopping the ghost ship at this moment, he was effectively “snatching people” away from the laws of death!
“Honored Ferryman of the Styx,” he controlled Alvaro to ask, his voice exceptionally clear amidst the surging mist.
“I humbly request to know whether this sacred voyage is the predetermined trajectory of fate, or merely a routine harvest within the cycle of the world?”
The difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.
If it was the former, then these people’s deaths were already an unchangeable destined conclusion. The appearance of the ghost ship would merely be an omen and proclamation of the final moment.
If it was the latter, then it would be like storms and earthquakes in nature: the world’s periodic cleansing and adjustment, a cruel trial to maintain balance, part of the natural cycle itself.
If it was the former, he could only give up. The cost of reversing predetermined fate was unimaginably enormous, and he absolutely would not bear it.
Moreover, this might signify that the root issue behind the collapse of the secret realm had not truly been resolved.
“We have come in response to the immense resentment and fear in this place.”
The ghost ship’s voice remained horrifying, yet to Kyle’s ears it sounded like heavenly music.
He let out a long sigh of relief inwardly. Fortunately, it seemed to be the second situation.
This meant that as long as the trial could be endured, there was a chance to make this fleet of death change course.
Through Isos’s spiritual sea, Kyle began condensing soul power.
This was an extremely difficult task, and also the reason he was frustrated that his true body was not here.
Crossing such an immense span of space and time was no small burden for Kyle, Isos, and Alvaro alike.
Moreover, he was the only one confident in completing this trial. If it were someone else, for example O’Brien, Kyle felt that even if the man completed the trial, he definitely would not be able to return to reality.
As for everyone else, they probably would not even make it through the gates of the trial before dying.
Fortunately, Isos’s talent was powerful enough. In just a short moment, a dazzling golden oath slowly manifested before Alvaro.
The oath radiated an ancient and sacred aura. It was a contract that carried the eternal covenant between life and death.
In a respectful tone, Kyle said:
“Honored Ferryman of the Styx, in accordance with the ancient covenant of life and death, I hereby humbly request the opening of the ‘Rebirth Trial’ leading toward the other shore. May this trial be exchanged for the grace of delaying your sacred voyage!”
The instant those words were spoken, the atmosphere across the entire sea region suddenly froze.
On the ghost ship, all the hollow and vacant eyes of the ghosts abruptly regained vitality, focusing in unison toward him, becoming more attentive and luminous than ever before.
How many years had it been?
This covenant had likely long since been forgotten completely by living beings fearful of death.
The ghost ship’s long-sealed memories were awakened by Kyle, and it finally developed deep interest in him. The entire ship began trembling.
“How… nostalgic.”
For the first time, the ghost ship’s voice carried clearly discernible emotional fluctuations.
“After the endless flow of years, I never expected there would still be living beings who remembered this covenant.”
The way all the ghosts looked at Kyle seemed to soften slightly.
It appeared that history had not been completely forgotten after all. There were still people silently guarding the corners of the world.
“Little one, since you know of this covenant, then you must also know its dangers.”
The ghost ship’s voice became incomparably solemn. Aside from solemnity, there was also a faint trace of anticipation and longing hidden within the eyes of all the ghosts.
“Are you certain you wish to begin the trial upon the road to rebirth?”
“I am certain!”
Kyle did not hesitate. His voice was firm and steady.
He possessed absolute confidence in himself.
This was not merely a challenge, but also a rare opportunity.
Moreover, the trial was not something that could be initiated whenever one wished.
These ancient rituals all operated according to the ancient laws governing the world itself. The reason he could initiate the trial was because everyone in Coral Thorn City shared causal ties with him.
Only then did the laws of death acknowledge him and grant him this opportunity.
Of course, oath-bound individuals such as paladins essentially possessed causal ties with all living beings in the world, so they too could initiate the trial.
“Good!”
Even the ghost ship’s voice carried a slight tremor. It had been too long—far, far too long since it had waited for this!
Without any further words, an ancient horn blast that seemed to originate from primordial antiquity and pierce through time and space suddenly rang out!
“Woooo————”
The horn’s sound was distant, desolate, and boundless, instantly dispersing the sea region’s aura of despair and chaos.
Death and coldness began fading away, replaced by dignity and solemnity.
Under the disbelieving gazes of the crowd, the ghost ship began undergoing earth-shaking changes.
“Th… what is happening?”
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, faint white light began radiating from the gaps between the countless layers of green seaweed covering the ghost ship’s hull.
As the white light grew stronger, the seaweed cracked apart and rapidly peeled away, revealing the translucent pale-cyan hull beneath.
Upon closer inspection, one could even see directly through the hull to the scenery behind it.
And this was only the beginning.
The damaged, decayed, and broken traces upon the ghost ship seemed to reverse through time itself, visibly restoring the vessel to its original appearance.
The tattered sails were rapidly rewoven and unfurled by an invisible pair of giant hands, ultimately transforming into a gigantic sail shining with silver-gray brilliance, fluttering loudly in the sea wind.
The ghost ship even prominently displayed the Rebirth Runes it had hidden for countless ages upon the prow, showcasing its “noble” identity!
It had been a very, very long time since it had revealed its true original appearance before the world.
The world had long forgotten that it was an essential part of the balance between life and death!
It was the watcher of the Styx!
The manifested incarnation of the laws of death!
The eternal guide leading departed souls upon their journey home!
Not the ghost ship people believed brought only death and destruction!
The translucent ghosts wandering dazedly upon the deck were also completely transformed.
They donned solid ancient armor and held illusory yet sharp weapons, resembling heroic spirit warriors awaiting inspection, their expressions solemn and their formations orderly.
The ghostly horn-blower stood at the bow, continuously sounding the vast and distant horn whose echoes pierced through mist and storm clouds, reverberating between heaven and earth.
Life and death seemed to reverse in an instant.
Death was no longer the end of the journey, but the beginning of another great adventure.
The floating corpses upon the sea no longer appeared terrifying and grotesque, but resembled peaceful sleepers quietly following behind the Ferryman of the Styx, awaiting their return to the pure lands of the world.
As the horn blasts continued sounding, above the layers of mist and clouds, a sacred staircase leading toward the other shore slowly appeared.
The moonlight originally concealed by dark clouds also poured downward alongside each extending step.
The Stairway of Ages, engraved with countless oaths of life and death, pierced through the clouds and solemnly descended before Kyle.
“Brave one who challenges fate, we shall witness thy trial.”